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Nearly 2,000 bodies have been recovered from Indonesia's disaster-ravaged Palu city, an official said Monday, as the search for victims ended at a hotel destroyed in the powerful earthquake and tsunami. The death toll from the twin disaster on Sulawesi island that erased whole suburbs in Palu has reached 1,944 The death toll from the twin disaster on Sulawesi island that erased whole suburbs in Palu has reached 1,944, said local military spokesman M. Thohir. "That number is expected to rise, because we have not received orders to halt the search for bodies," Thohir, who is also a member of the government's official Palu quake taskforce, told AFP. Authorities have said as many as 5,000 are believed missing in two hard-hit areas since the September 28 disaster -- indicating far more may have perished than the current toll. Hopes of finding anyone alive have faded and the search for survivors amid the wreckage has turned to gathering and accounting for the dead. The disaster … [Read more...] about More bodies found as death toll from Indonesia quake nears 2,000

Deutsche Bank appoints new chief country officer for Vietnam Deutsche Bank has just announced the appointment of Hans-Dieter Holtzmann (49) as chief country officer and head of Global Transaction Banking (GTB) in Vietnam, effective from August 16, 2018. In his capacity as chief country officer, Holtzmann will report to Werner Steinmueller, member of the Management Board and APAC Head of Deutsche Bank, and in his GTB capacity, to Kaushik Shaparia, head of Global Subsidiary Coverage, GTB Foreign Exchange and Corporate Cash Management for Asia. Announcing the appointment, Steinmueller said, “We are pleased to have a colleague of Hans-Dieter’s caliber in this role. As one of our key markets in Southeast Asia, our Vietnamese franchise has shown profitable growth and we are excited about the country’s outlook. This is why last year we significantly increased our capital base in this market, providing the bank with more resources to support our clients’ … [Read more...] about BUSINESS NEWS IN BRIEF 20/8

Increasing nine points compared to the last quarter of 2017 on the back of increased positivity about local job prospects and the state of personal finances, Vietnam’s consumer confidence index (CCI) reached its highest score in the last decade in the first quarter of this year, which helped it remain the fourth most optimistic country in the world, according to the latest issue of The Conference Board® Global Consumer Confidence™ Survey, released in collaboration with market researchers Nielsen. Southeast Asia and North America had the highest level of consumer confidence during the quarter. Consumers in Southeast Asia remained relatively optimistic, with confidence increasing 2 points from 119 in the fourth quarter of 2017 to 121. Three out of six countries reaching the highest confidence score were Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia, with Vietnam and Malaysia posting the Top 5 increases in the world. “In general, countries in Southeast Asia … [Read more...] about Consumer confidence at decade high

Two deadly tremors a week apart -- accompanied by dozens of aftershocks -- wrought widespread damage on homes and livelihoods, striking during the crucial tourism season, when hotels, local businesses and seasonal workers earn the bulk of their annual revenue. In the Gili Islands, a popular backpacker and diving destination just off Lombok's northern coast, thousands of terrified tourists jostled on powder-white beaches for departing boats. Lombok's airport was briefly crammed with holidaymakers rushing to get flights out, while the main tourist drag of Senggigi has been left deserted. Alfan Hasandi depended on peak season tourists to see his family through the rest of the year. He and his brothers ran a now shuttered business on one of the islands, Gili Air, offering boat tickets, snorkeling, trekking and vehicle rentals, usually earning five million rupiah ($350) a day during peak season. "We hope we can rebuild... but it's impossible because people are still traumatised," the … [Read more...] about Lombok quake sends shudders through tourist industry

Minh has lived in Hanoi for ten years, but still doesn't speak fluent Vietnamese. He comes from an ethnic minority group based in the north of the country, but moved down to the capital to earn a living as a waste disposal worker in a residential building. Minh does not get the chance to practice his Vietnamese very much because concrete walls separate him from the rest of society, and the only connection he has with other people is a waste pipe. Minh does not know exactly how old his two sons are. All he knows is that they quit school early to follow him in the waste business. Minh's wife and older son clean up the bunker of garbage under a residential building in Hanoi. Photo by VnExpress/Do Manh Cuong Leaving his home in the mountainous province of Ha Giang, 300 kilometers (186 miles) north of Hanoi, Minh now works in a hot and suffocating basement collecting waste to sell for recycling as a source of income for his family. Nhu, Minh’s wife, and their older son also … [Read more...] about Dirty business: The hidden workers who deal with waste in Vietnam’s capital